Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this course you should have:
• an understanding of the nature of biography throughout various historical periods, and a knowledge of individual biographical and autobiographical works
• an awareness of the historical and intellectual context in which these works were written
• an awareness of key concepts and methodologies that scholars have used to approach biography
• developed skills in dealing with primary and secondary sources
• experience of working and learning with others through discussion and presentation
• developed your skills in written analysis
Indicative Module Content:
The module addresses such issues as:
- The connection between biography and history; the transformation of biography over time; the historical value of biography; what biography tells us about changes in society, thought, and the individual; how life stories can illuminate the past.
- The celebration of notable figures, one of the most traditional forms of biography.
- The relationship between public life and private life.
- What biography tells us about changing ideals of a good life.
- How different life stages are addressed, in particular childhood.
- Important stages in the development of biography, from the ancient biography of Suetonius and Plutarch, to the birth of modern biography with Samuel Johnson and James Boswell, to the expansion of biography more recently to encompass previously marginalised groups.
- Biography as polemic; biography and the transformation of reputations.
- Women's lives: how they are treated differently to those of men, the value of biography in revealing the history of women, and the importance of women biographers.
- Biography v autobiography: their different value to the historian.
- The uses of biography: how modern scholars see and use biography.